Senior/Principal Engineer, Aircraft Controls

Ampaire; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Ampaire Inc. in Long Beach, CA, is seeking a Senior/Principal Engineer for Aircraft Controls at their Long Beach HQ. The role owns development, certification, and commercialization of power management controller avionics and flight deck for our hybrid-electric aircraft.

Requires DO-178C experience, flight deck systems expertise, and leadership to grow the controls team. The position reports to the CTO, offers full-time on-site work, and may require travel for remote flight campaigns.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in relevant engineering field.
• 5+ years in aerospace or equivalent hardware-software avionics projects.
• Expert knowledge of DO-178 software development process.
• Proficient with MathWorks Simulink code-generation tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead continued development and certification of powertrain control avionics units and flight deck systems.
• Manage hardware suppliers and certification tests for FAA DAL-compliant software.
• Coordinate integration, testing, and documentation for certification.
• mentor and manage additional controls engineers as the team grows.

Skills

DO-178C

Flight Controls

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's degree preferred

Tools

MathWorks Simulink code-generation

Job description

Ampaire Inc. Senior/Principal Engineer, Aircraft Controls Long Beach, CA · Full time

Ampaire, a leading tech startup in California's electric aviation sector, is seeking a Senior/Principal Engineer for Aircraft Controls. This role will own the continued development, certification, and commercialization of the power management controller avionics and flight deck for our hybrid electric aircraft. The position focuses on managing the certifiable control software development, associated avionics hardware, displays, throttle quadrant, and aircraft integration and testing. Key qualifications include experience with DO-178C software certification standards and hands-on experience with flight deck and avionics systems. The role reports to the CTO and involves occasional travel for remote flight campaigns.

About Ampaire Inc.

Ampaire is revolutionizing air travel with hybrid-electric propulsion, pioneering the fastest, most practical path to sustainable aviation. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in sunny California at the Long Beach Airport, Ampaire has led the industry in real-world hybrid-electric flight innovation, achieving historic milestones since the first flight of its Electric EEL testbed in 2019. Our adaptable technology seamlessly repowers existing aircraft, slashing fuel consumption by 50-70% and enabling airlines to reduce costs and emissions without waiting around for new infrastructure or fuels. When futuristic airplanes arrive, we expect them to use our power systems too, and are already working on that behind the scenes. With flights spanning 30,000 miles across Hawaii, Scotland, Canada, Alaska, and beyond, Ampaire has proven hybrid-electric aircraft are ready now—not decades from today. In 2022, we introduced the world's largest hybrid-electric aircraft, the Eco Caravan, which is now advancing through certification and commercialization. Backed by industry-leading partners, a $5B+ sales pipeline, and a bold vision for aviation’s future, Ampaire offers a career where your work will reshape an industry and leave a lasting impact on the world. This is an inflection point for Ampaire and a once-in-a-century moment for the industry. Are you ready to help redefine flight? Let's fly!

Description

Role and Responsibilities:

• Lead continued development and certification of powertrain control (PTC) avionics units
  • Manage hardware suppliers
  • Lead strategy, manage, and execute development and certification of FAA DAL-compliant DO-178C software including in-house and support contractors
  • Lead integration and experimental testing of PTC units on dyno, iron birds, and flight aircraft
  • Plan, manage, and execute in-house and contracted certification tests
  • Support FAA-certification documentation
• Lead troubleshooting of complex EMI challenges and ensure robust system performance
• Lead the development and integration of other avionics and flight deck developments for hybrid and electric aircraft applications from lab to flight test and commercialization
• Prepare detailed documentation for system design, testing, and certification
• Manage additional controls engineers as company grows
• Position based at Long Beach HQ facility
• Reports to CTO

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in relevant engineering discipline
• 5+ years of increasing responsibilities in aerospace, or equivalent, mixed software and hardware avionics, flight deck, or other microcontroller commercial development projects
• Expert knowledge of DO-178 software development process
• Proficient with MathWorks Simulink code-generation tools

Desired Qualifications:

• Master's degree in relevant engineering discipline
• 15+ years of relevant experience
• Executed DO-178 software development projects through certification
• Experience with DO-254 development projects
• Proficient with hybrid electric powertrain engineering
• Proficient with ARM Cortex-A family microprocessors and Cortex-A-based microcontrollers

Salary

$175,000 - $260,000 per year